Our emphasis for this year’s institute is on building a cohort of trainees at the interface of microbial communities and global change across systems from terrestrial to marine. We are planning a set of training modules and activities that address professional development and scientific skills at scales from microbial cells to global ecosystem models. Enrollment, travel, accommodations, and meals are covered by the institute

This course is "... more than an introduction to microbiology: the course provides a factual background in key aspects of microbial biology, but, in keeping in the tradition of van Niel’s teaching, there is a strong emphasis on concepts, ideas, questions and the placement of microbiological knowledge within a broader and more mainstream context. A background in microbiology is not essential, but it is an advantage. Important is a mature approach to learning and a desire to go beyond the undergraduate lecture theatre environment."

The Advanced Bacterial Genetics course presents logic and methods used in the genetic dissection of complex biological processes in diverse bacteria. Laboratory methods include: classical and cutting-edge mutagenesis using transposons, allelic exchange, and TargeTron; recombineering with single and double stranded DNA; CRISPR/Cas genome editing; genome sequencing and assembly; mapping mutations using genetic and physical techniques; modern approaches to the generation and analysis of targeted gene disruptions and reporter gene fusions; fluorescence microscopy. Key components of the course will be the use of sophisticated genetic methods in the analysis of model bacteria (including Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Vibrio cholerae), and the use of the wealth of new genomic sequence information to motivate these methods.

Course Title: GEOBIOLOGY 2018 - An International Training Course in a Rapidly Evolving Field

Now entering its 15th year, the International Geobiology Course is an intense, multidisciplinary summer course exploring the coevolution of the Earth and it's biosphere, with an emphasis on how microbial processes affect the environment and leave imprints on the rock record. Participants get hands-on experience in cutting-edge geobiological techniques, learn from a broad team of eminent scientists in the field, and work in research groups to solve relevant questions.

The course is an intensive six-and-a-half-week research and training experience for graduate or postdoctoral students, as well as established investigators, who want to become competent in microbiological techniques for working with a broad range of microbes, and in approaches for recognizing the metabolic, phylogenetic, and genomic diversity of cultivated and as yet uncultivated bacteria.